Myanmar opposition leader Win Tin dies at 85

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what's happening in the world as it unfolds.

File photo: Myanmar veteran dissident Win Tin at his home in Yangon. The famous dissident was jailed 19 years for his pro-democracy activism.

Story highlights

Myanmar political activist and National League for Democracy founding member Win Tin has died at 85

He was arrested in 1989 by country's military rulers and was not released from jail until 2008

Win Tin lived alone, saying he forsook a family to devote his life to the fight for democracy

Win Tin, a founding member of Myanmar's National League for Democracy who was jailed for 19 years for political activism, has died at Yangon Hospital. He was 85.

A National League for Democracy (NLD) spokesperson told CNN Win Tin was admitted to Yangon Hospital three weeks ago with a kidney problem.

One of Myanmar's most prominent dissidents, Win Tin was a journalist and writer who joined with Aung San Suu Kyi during her campaign in 1988, according to Nyan Win, the current spokesperson for the NLD.

He was arrested in 1989 by Myanmar's military rulers, who feared the strength of the pro-democracy movement.

"Immediately after his arrest, U Win Tin was kept without food and sleep for three days," Suu Kyi wrote about his imprisonment. "It appeared that the interrogators wished to force him to admit he was my adviser on political tactics, in other words, that he was my puppet master."